Client Case Study (Rachel Harvey)

When we started working together, Rachel was lost and struggling. Or in her words: “directionless”.

Despite having two masters degrees, she was severely underemployed, working part-time as a secretary.

Her employment situation meant that she had to move home with her parents in order to make ends meet.

Rachel was unsure of what she wanted in life, only that “this” wasn’t it.

Can you blame her? Most of us don’t want to be living with our parents in our mid-30s, working part-time at a job that is far below our educational level.

Rachel and I worked together for 5 or 6 months. During that time, I focused on helping her rebuild her self-worth, on helping her figure out what she wanted in life (as opposed to what she didn’t want), and on making the transition to her new life (once she figured out what she wanted).

At the end of our work together, I asked Rachel a series of questions about our work together and here’s how she responded:

1. What were the problems that you faced before our coaching sessions?

Before we started our sessions, I felt very directionless.

I had just finished a university program (again) and the job market for my chosen profession was terrible in my hometown.

I had to move in with my parents, which was very discouraging, and take any job that I could get (a part-time job as a secretary). My confidence was at an all-time low.

2. What did our coaching enable you to do?

Coaching helped me to build my confidence, and also encouraged me to stay true to myself.

I knew deep down that I needed (and wanted) to move out of my hometown and go somewhere that had greater job opportunities for my chosen profession. I just hesitated because it seemed like such a big step.

Once I felt more confident in my abilities, and realized that it wasn’t all my fault that I couldn’t secure work here (the job market was just terrible), I got the courage to really go for what I wanted.

I’ve been lucky enough to find a dream job in a great place.

I am extremely optimistic about the direction my career and life is headed in now, and am thankful to Ed for encouraging me to pursue my dreams.

3. What specific results did you get from our coaching sessions?

Coaching enabled me to see that it wasn’t the end of the world — that I was just going through a transition stage.

It helped me to really think through where I wanted to go next with my career and life, and then start to plan for how I would get there.

The planning part was key, because I tend to be impulsive and forget all the details and tasks that add up to reaching the goal.

We literally would break down a goal into doable, time-sensitive tasks, and Ed held me accountable through regular emails.

This really helped me stay on track, and get the work done.

Coaching also helped me to recognize the negative self-talk that was constantly circulating in my head and to focus on the successes I have had so far.

Ed often validated my thoughts and challenged my perceived inadequacies, and gave me valuable insight into positive ways of looking at the issues I was facing.

That’s a pretty remarkable turnaround in only 5-6 months, don’t you think

Now, obviously the challenges you’re facing in life are different than the ones that Rachel faced.

And you also have different hopes, dreams, and desires.

But…if you’re also lost like Rachel, if you’re also struggling like Rachel, if you’re also directionless like Rachel, then maybe you could also benefit from working with someone one-on-one.

(The main goals of the Discovery Session are for me to get a better sense of what your current struggles are, for me to assess if you’re a good fit for my coaching services, and for us to mutually decide if we’d like to work together. This will also be your opportunity to ask me any questions about my coaching services).